IHD Engineering Awards submission - Fremantle Ports

Mandatory Judging Criteria
Criteria 3:
Originality and ingenuity of the solution
Fremantle Ports opted to use an Early Contractor
Involvement approach to plan the project before reverting to
a series of lump sum contracts during the execution phase.
The ECI phase involved preparing for the operation with
three teams – Fremantle Ports, Thiess Georgiou JV and
Boskalis Australia – over a six month period.
Project Objectives and a Project Charter were jointly
developed. The Charter was written into the preamble
to the construction contracts to promote values of trust,
respect and honesty.
A Project Leadership Team (PLT) established during the ECI
continued into the project delivery phase and monitored all
project KPIs, working collaboratively to resolve any issues
referred by the project management team.
Throughout the project, continual improvement and
professional development was facilitated through
workshops and surveys.
Another innovative practice adopted during the execution
phase of the project was the undertaking of “Wellbeing
Surveys” involving site and head office personnel to help
identify early any potential problems in relationships and
performance.
Innovativeness of design, process
or application
Fremantle Ports manages its shipping operations with the
aid of Dynamic Under Keel Clearance (DUKC©) 1 technology.
to calculate the window of opportunity for ships to transit
and exchange cargo in the port. In the planning phase,
DUKC Technology was used to optimise channel design and
minimise dredge depths.
A series of real-time ship simulations was also undertaken
to confirm navigational aspects of the design. These were
performed in conjunction with Fremantle Pilots’ pilots using
a full bridge simulator located in the port.
The combined use of DUKC technology and ship simulations
reduced the volume of dredging needed and provided the
Harbour Master and marine pilots with confidence that
the channel design and dredge depths could be safely
navigated for larger ships.
To cater for the heavier loads bigger ships impose on wharf
infrastructure, the North Quay container berths required
strengthening, and in the case of Berth 10, demolition and
complete reconstruction.
Although a relatively simple structure, the Berth 10
reconstruction was complex due to the constrained site,
access issues, working over or near water and coordinating
multiple activities such as piling, concrete cutting and
removal, precast installation and in situ concreting.
The new berth design was tailored to avoid clashes with
existing pile grids from remnant structures and the design
was carried out maximising deck planks and thinning down
1
Fremantle Ports DUKC system is developed and operated by OMC International Pty Ltd